Wednesday, September 24, 2014

Dogfish Head Brewery - Punkin Ale 2014

Going outta my gourd.

Ah, man, it's pumpkin beer season already? I gotta tell ya, I think most pumpkin beers are abysmally craptastic. They are hideous, satanic abominations that need to driven back through the Autumnal gates of hell from whence they came! Oh, the humanity! Nothing saddens me quite like seeing premium spots in the supermarket cold case being taken up by pumpkin brews from late September through early January. It just isn't right!

Brewers often over-spice these seasonal nightmares with buttloads of nutmeg, cinnamon and clove. Hey, pumpkin pie is for eating, not drinking. Blech! But they aren't all awful. Every once in a while, I'll run across a pumpkin beer that could even be worth drinking more than once.

Dogfish Head Brewery is world renowned for making some primo craft beer. Their 90 Minute IPA is epic. They are also known for being extremely innovative and never afraid to push that creative envelope. I would expect a fairly exotic pumpkin beer from Dogfish Head--and maybe that's the case with their Punkin Ale. It's far from over-the-top and very, very drinkable, in other words, DIFFERENT than most other pumpkin beers! Imagine that!

The beer poured into my snifter from a 12 oz. bottle a slightly hazy, golden amber color. The head rose up to only about a 1/4 of an inch tall and dissipated quickly. A thin ring of lacing was left behind.

Aroma was pumpkin and mild pumpkin pie spice--nutmeg, cinnamon and clove. Over-ripe fruit and sweet malt in the background.

Taste was surprisingly mild on the spice. Nice, clean, NATURAL pumpkin flavor. Brown sugar. Earthy malt. It tastes like a beer, not like a pie. Good!

Medium mouthfeel with low carbonation. Smooth, slightly creamy finish. Just a tinge of booze to this 7% ABV brew.

Overall, this is a perfect pumpkin beer for my palate. I'd drink it again anytime. Nothing weird, over-powering or too pie-like. I'm giving Punkin Ale a very respectable BeerGuyPDX rating of 3 crushed cans out of 4.

AWARDS!

About Me

Everybody needs a hobby, mine is drinking craft beer. When I'm not at work, you can find me on my deck, sipping on a cold one and manning my Weber Kettle. I love my wife, my kids and my dog, Merry the Wonder Beagle. I also love my adopted home, Portland, Oregon, the best damn beer city in these United States or anywhere else.